


The Crash

by thevaccines



Category: IT (2017), IT - Stephen King
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe, Dogs, M/M, Strangers to Lovers, because of course i want to add dogs
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-13
Updated: 2017-12-13
Packaged: 2019-02-14 08:25:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,727
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13003761
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thevaccines/pseuds/thevaccines
Summary: Eddie still didn’t know what to say. Even as he stood outside in the freezing cold, the snow coming down in fat flakes and landing everywhere, settling into the fibres of his jacket and making him even colder.He knocked. That was a start.(An AU where Eddie hits Richie's car)





	The Crash

Eddie still didn’t know what to say. Even as he stood outside in the freezing cold, the snow coming down in fat flakes and landing everywhere, settling into the fibres of his jacket and making him even colder.

He knocked. That was a start. But it was so quiet, the winter wind overpowered it. He still waited, cause maybe there was a chance he had heard. But after five minutes, then ten, he knocked again, using the door knocker to emphasize it. He took a deep breath, trying to slow his heartbeat and gain some courage. It was his fault, and he knew that. He had to own up to it.

He hears footsteps, and even though the glass is not see-through, he still sees a figure approach the door, and then stand there, staring through the not-so-see-through glass, staring at Eddie. The figure is tall, looming over Eddie, and he gulps.

The door cracks open, the ice around it breaking off slightly. The wreath wiggles on the door, as it too is frozen, welcoming any kind of heat the inside of the house seeps out. 

“Hello.” Eddie says, and the man stares back at him through thick, magnified glasses, that sit just on the arch of his nose. Eddie’s eyes widen, the light coming from behind the man giving him a beautiful halo around his curly hair. And Eddie doesn’t know how to form words for a moment, because nothing he’s ever laid eyes on has been _more beautiful._

“I’m Eddie.” He starts, “I hit your car. Or at least, I think its your car? Uh, the roads and the snow- I haven’t driven in weather like this in forever and I slid into your driveway and hit your car-” Eddie talks so fast, staring down at the ground in embarrassment, that he doesn’t even realize that the man has closed the door, not fully though, leaving it slightly ajar. 

Eddie stands there, silent, watching as the figure moves around in the house, hears some murmuring, and then the door opens again, this time, the man has full-winter gear on, and even though he’s barely stepped into the cold, his cheeks are already red. His hair is mostly covered now with a bright red knitted beanie, save for a few curls that escaped around his ears. _Even his ears are cute_ , Eddie thinks, his heart feeling like its escaped into his throat. 

“I’m Richie.” The man, Richie, holds his gloved hand out, and Eddie shakes it, letting out a small sigh of relief, trying to trick his brain into not blowing up into a full panic attack. This guy seemed nice. His house was really nice, from the small glance Eddie got into the door. He saw a dog bowl, or maybe that was for a cat. People with pets are usually nice, right? Eddie hoped so, as he wasn’t getting any bad vibes from him, at least not _yet._

Richie walks past him, closing the door, and Eddie follows suit as they walk over to the small crash-site at the end of Richie’s driveway. 

“Look, I’m really, really sorry.” He emphasizes, “I can definitely pay for whatever it costs, I’ll give you my information and you just send the bill to me.” Eddie says a little dramatically, trying to keep his voice from wavering, watching as Richie walks around the cars, examining everything.

Eddie, in a rush, had left his car door open, and the prints in the snow show how much he had stumbled out of the car in a quick haste to get to the house. Richie closes the car door, after sitting inside quickly and turning the car off so it stops beeping every few seconds. He tosses the keys to Eddie, who catches them, but not gracefully. He shoves them into his pocket as he watches Richie step around the cars, leaning down and putting a hand on his bumper.

“Well, it doesn’t look too bad.” Richie says, sniffing slightly. The snow had fallen around him, giving him even more of a glow and making his cheeks even redder. Eddie felt a little tranced by him for a moment. Richie’s eyes met Eddie’s, and he bit his lip. 

“No?” Eddie asks. He didn’t know the last thing about cars, but he knew that the dents on each their cars were not good-looking.

“No, just a small bump on yours, easy to fix, and you scratched mine a bit but- nothing I can’t fix myself.” He shrugs. 

“What?” Eddie, confused, quickly goes to stand next to Richie, re-examining the cars. He swore he had seen the bumper of Richie’s car swinging off to one side, and his own car practically turned in on itself. But maybe it hadn’t, and his brain had just been playing tricks. He lets out a long, exhausted sigh of relief, and it makes Richie chuckle. 

“Anyways, not your fault the snow plow and salt trucks _always_ forget my street. I’ve gone to the town hall with more complaints than I can count. So, don’t worry bout it.” Richie gives him a reassuring smile, pushing his glasses up his nose. After a moment of the two just staring at each other, Richie says, “You look kind of cold, wanna come in for a coffee? Or do you have somewhere you need to be?”

“No,” Eddie says. Richie looks a little defeated, but nods. “I meant _no_ as in nowhere to be. I’d love a coffee.” Eddie fixes himself quickly, and then Richie’s smile comes back. He can lie later and explain to his mom that the traffic was bad, but she will probably lay into him a bit for missing pre-Christmas-Eve dinner. But in this moment, with this gorgeous, tall and lanky man standing in front of him, he could care less about what his mother will say to him. 

“Alright, I’ll put a fresh pot on. You allergic to dogs?” Richie begins walking up his driveway, glancing back as Eddie shakes his head then follows suit. “Good.”

Good thing indeed, because Richie has two dogs. A brown dachshund named Coco, and a fluffy white Chihuahua named Boo. They walked slowly up to Eddie as he took his boots and coat off, Richie taking his coat and hanging it up. Boo came closest, Coco staying back and observing. Each of them wore tiny knitted sweaters that were Holiday-themed. Eddie’s heart melted, as he thought that possibly, Richie had knitted them as he had knitted his red beanie. _That would be the icing on the cake, wouldn’t it?_ Eddie thinks.

“Don’t mind them, they are a little shy, especially Coco over here, but once they sniff you they get bored and go of somewhere together.”

Eddie smiles, bending down as Boo sniffs and licks his hand, “I don’t mind at all.” He says breathily. 

“Boo seems to like you, but Coco is a little harder to please.” Richie says, and then motions for Eddie to follow him. He does, into the kitchen, where Eddie stands in awe of the white rustic cupboards and grey granite counter tops, Christmas decorations littering every corner, along with high-end appliances and other cute kitchen knickknacks. Richie clicks on his gas stove, after filling a pot up with water to boil, “So, where were you coming from or going to when you smashed my car?” Richie asks, but theres a playful smile across his features.

“Going to my mothers, and, honestly, I think maybe its fate that I hit your car.” Eddie says, sitting himself on one of the creaky wooden chairs at Richie’s small, round table. Richie turns from the stove, raising an eyebrow, “I-I mean,” Eddie stumbles, cheeks feeling slightly warm, “If I can avoid just _one_ more night with my mother I think it’s most definitely fate that I hit your car… Someone up there is looking out for me.” Eddie points a finger to the sky, Richie chuckles and nods. 

“I think you mean a _miracle,_ not fate, but I get you.” Richie is adding spoonfuls of instant coffee to two mugs, both with different writing on it that Eddie can’t get a clear look at, “Do you like cinnamon?”

Eddie nods, “Yeah, cinnamon is good.” Then watches as Richie adds a few sprinkles into it. Once the water boils he adds the water and brings the mugs over. 

“Cream? Milk? There is sugar on the table.” Richie asks, opening his tiny fridge and pulling them out.

“Milk, thanks.”

Moments pass, and once they’re both settled, Eddie sips at his coffee, the two giving each other friendly smiles. 

“Um, thank you, by the way. I hit your car and then you make me a really good cup of coffee. Thats some amazing hospitality.” He makes Richie laugh, and Eddie feels his heart slow for a moment, “I mean, I’m sure you do that for everyone that hits your car.” 

Richie laughs, and Coco and Boo come running into the room, one chasing the other, and disappear under the table towards Richie. “Yeah, well, I promise I don’t just do this for everyone.” Eddie thinks for a moment that Richie just winked at him, but again, its probably just his brain making tricks. 

They laugh, the air around them filling with a sense of comfort. They stare for a moment, and then Eddie looks away, his eyes focusing on the writing on the cups that he couldn’t see earlier.

‘Mr and Mr’. 

_Oh._ Eddie swore he didn’t see a ring on Richie’s finger, and definitely no family pictures (or wedding pictures) hanging on the walls. He takes a cautious sip of his coffee and then clears his throat. 

“So, you married?” He gestures to the cups, and Richie goes blank for a split second, making Eddie’s heart race. _He shouldn’t have asked that, he just hit this guy’s car and now he’s asking him personal questions - this isn’t right. He should just go, he’s already intruded enough-_

“Uh, no.” Richie says after a moment of uncomfortable silence, “He actually split on our wedding day, and I haven’t seen or heard from him since… but I kept all the wedding gifts because - well, why the fuck not.”He shrugs, then takes a sip of his coffee, staring at Eddie over the rim of the cup, his glasses fogging slightly as he does.

“Sorry.” He says, and Richie shakes his head, his curls falling around his face, and he moves them away with a quick brush of his fingers. 

“I’m far from over it, believe me.” He laughs, but Eddie feels a sting in it. He doesn’t really sound over it, or _look_ over it, but Eddie realizes he doesn’t know him well enough to truly judge it, so he pushes the thoughts away.

Eddie then feels one of the dogs brush up his leg and he giggles from the tickle, ducking his head underneath the table. Coco and Boo are cuddling, but Boo is rubbing his face against Eddie’s leg affectionately as well, and Eddie feels his heart swell again. 

“You’re dogs are perfect.” He says, coming back up, a huge smile across his face. Richie’s eyes glance from his eyes to his lips for a split second, and then he looks down to his coffee mug.

“I know. Coco was Jeremy’s and Boo was mine. That’s actually how we met - at a dog park. And our dogs fell in love.” He looks distant for a moment, thinking about it, and then looks back to Eddie, his eyes a little tired but sparkling too. “Not as good as when someone comes to your door after crashing into your car, though. Thats new.” 

Eddie gulps. Was he flirting? _If he is_ , Eddie thinks, _two can play at that_. 

“I mean, what’s the best way to get into someone’s pants other than hitting their car?” Eddie laughs, thinking maybe that was a bit too foreword. Except Richie laughs, but softer, suddenly more relaxed, giving Eddie a _look_ that Eddie was kind of familiar with (less than he wanted to be, but he could still recognize it when he looked for it).

“So, home for Christmas.” Richie lets out a small sigh, “Where were you coming from?” 

“I actually live a few towns over, just an hour drive. Far enough from my mother for my sanity, but close enough for hers.” 

Richie smiles. “Yeah, my parents are somewhere in Fiji, I think? I don’t even know, they went travelling after my dad retired last year. Europe first, now islands. I think that money was supposed to be spent for grandkids but seeing as there won’t be any..” Richie inhales sharply suddenly, and then frowns, “Sorry, that’s kind of a..weird thing to unload onto a stranger.” He laughs nervously, a little forced. 

“I mean,” Eddie shrugs, “I’m not judging, don’t worry.”

Richie’s hand slides down off his mug, and lands on the table. His fingers twitch slightly towards Eddie’s hand, and he holds back a small smile. And then the _look_ comes back, and Eddie’s smile fades as the two just stare.

“Its actually been a while since I really even chatted to anyone other than my dogs, so its a nice break.”

“Me too. Except, customers over a phone, and no dog.”

“Jesus that must be sad.”

“Oh it is.”

They both laugh at one another’s misfortunes, bonding over them as well. 

Eddie goes to sip his coffee, then realizes its finished, and he looks to Richie, who is done his coffee as well.

“I guess this is where I leave you.” Eddie says, giving a small lopsided smile. 

“Um…” Richie starts, looking a little reluctant, “It was nice meeting you, Eddie. If you ever wanna stop by feel free to - just, without the whole ‘hitting my car’ thing.” 

“I’ll try my best.” Eddie says, and Richie smirks. 

The two walk to the front door, Richie quickly jots down his email address on a small slip of paper, handing it to Eddie. Then they shake hands, and it lingers a little long but neither of them notice (but they totally do). Eddie steps foreword slightly, staring up at him, and then steps back. Richie’s breath gets caught in his throat, and Boo and Coco stand in the entrance to the kitchen, still cuddling. 

Its weird, the feeling in the pit of Eddie’s stomach, as he puts on his boots and coat, and steps out of the house into the cold. He walks to his car, his legs feeling heavy, his boots sinking into the quickly falling snow. 

Richie closes the door after a final wave, and Eddie sits in his car. He sighs, his breath coming out in a puff of cold air, and then turns the key in the ignition. 

The car revs, then dies. Eddie, alarmed, tries again. And then again. 

To no avail, the car refuses to start, and Eddie leans foreword on the wheel, laying his head against it in defeat. 

A knock on his window startles him, and its Richie, looking at him, bent over at a bad angle to get to eye contact with him. 

Eddie opens his door. “Hi again.” He says sheepishly, his cheeks feeling warm again. 

“You car probably won’t start cause of the snow freezing up the engine.” 

“How do you even know that?”

“My dad was a mechanic.” Richie says, and suddenly he’s on his knees, hands digging into the snow, his face disappearing under the bottom of the car. 

“You’re gonna freeze-“ Eddie puts a hand on Richie’s back, tugging on his sweater. The idiot even came out without a coat on. Richie comes back up as Eddie says, “Can I use your telephone?” 

Theres a silence that follows, as Richie is still on his knees, staring up at Eddie, his eyes magnified from his glasses. His eyes are a deep brown colour, Eddie notices, and they are fucking _enchanting_ along with the long lashes that cause shadows down his cheekbones. And his _cheekbones- oh jeez - his lips._ Eddie feels himself lean in slightly, and Richie shrinks back before standing up, clearing his throat and holding a hand out to help Eddie out of the car. 

“Sure.” 

Eddie takes his hand. Its warm, gives him a shock, and he tries really hard not to smile from ear to ear. He does anyway. 

**Author's Note:**

> part 2 coming soon ~~~~
> 
> (find me on tumblr @babybyelers)


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